To recover hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean geologic formations a wellbore is drilled into the formation to provide a flow path for the hydrocarbons from a reservoir within the formation to the surface. However, often a stimulation technique referred to as hydraulic fracturing is needed to improve the flow path and recovery of the hydrocarbon from oil or gas wells.
In hydraulic fracturing a specialized fluid is pumped into the targeted formation at a rate in excess of what can be dissipated through the natural permeability of the formation rock. The specialized fluids used in the technique are referred to fracturing fluids. The fluids result in a pressure build up until such pressure exceeds the strength of the formation rock. When this occurs, the formation rock fails and a so-called “fracture” is initiated. With continued pumping, the fracture grows in length, width and height. The fracture, which is generated by the application of this stimulation technique, creates a conductive path to the wellbore for the hydrocarbon.
Ideally, fracturing fluids should impart a minimal pressure drop in the pipe within the wellbore during placement and have an adequate viscosity to carry proppant material that prevents the fracture from closing. Moreover, the fracturing fluids should have a minimal leak-off rate to avoid fluid migration into the formation rocks so that, notably, the fracture can be created and propagated and should degrade so as not to leave residual material that may prevent accurate hydrocarbons to flow into the wellbore.
Typical aqueous fracturing fluids mainly consisting of “linear” polymeric gels comprising guar, guar derivatives or hydroxyethyl cellulose were introduced to attain a sufficient fluid viscosity and thermal stability in high temperature reservoirs, linear polymer gels were partially replaced by cross-linked polymer gels such as those crosslinked with borate, zirconate or titanate ions. However, as it became apparent that crosslinked polymer gel residues might damage the permeability of hydrocarbon bearing formations, fluids with a lower polymer content and foamed fluids were introduced. Also, methods were introduced to improve the clean-up of polymer-based fracturing fluids. These included advanced viscosity breaker technology in which the introduction of certain components to a fracturing fluid can cause a dramatic decrease in the fluid viscosity, called “breaking”. Breaking can also occur by varying the amount of water or electrolyte or other components that may already be present in the fluid. For example, in oilfield applications, the viscosity of fracturing fluids is reduced or lost upon exposure to formation fluids (e.g., crude oil, condensate and/or water). The viscosity reduction effectuates cleanup of the reservoir, fracture, or other treated area.
A number of polymer-free aqueous fracturing fluids are based on viscoelastic surfactants. The principal advantages of viscoelastic surfactant fluids are ease of preparation, minimal formation damage and high retained permeability in the proppant pack. Viscoelastic surfactant fluids are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,825, U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,372, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,731, CA-1298697, U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,516, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,295, U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,555 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,274. One well-known polymer-free aqueous fracturing fluid comprising a viscoelastic surfactant, which has been commercialized by the company group Schlumberger under the trademark ClearFRAC, and a mixture of a quaternary ammonium salt, the N-erucyl-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl ammonium chloride, with isopropanol and brine, the brine preferably including 3% by weight of ammonium chloride and 4% by weight of potassium chloride.
Published PCT application WO 87/01758 entitled “Hydraulic Fracturing Process and Compositions” discloses fracturing processes which use aqueous hydraulic fracturing fluids. The fluids comprise: (a) an aqueous medium, and (b) a thickening amount of a thickener composition comprising (i) a water-soluble or water-dispersible interpolymer having pendant hydrophobic groups chemically bonded thereto, (ii) a nonionic surfactant having a hydrophobic group(s) that is capable of associating with the hydrophobic groups on said organic polymer, and (iii) a water-soluble electrolyte. Additionally, the fluids preferably contain a stabilizing amount of a thiosulfate salt. As an example, an interpolymer of acrylamide and dodecyl acrylate was used in combination with a nonionic surfactant (HLB of from 10 to 14) to thicken a dilute aqueous solution of KCl and sodium thiosulfate; the aqueous solution had excellent properties for use as a high temperature hydraulic fracturing fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,881 entitled “Water-Dispersible Hydrophobic Thickening Agent” discloses an aqueous liquid medium having increased low shear viscosity as provided by dispersing into the aqueous medium (1) a water-soluble polymer having pendant hydrophobic groups, e.g., an acrylamide dodecyl acrylate copolymer, and (2) a water-dispersible surfactant, e.g., sodium oleate, or dodecyl polyethyleneoxy glycol monoether. The thickened aqueous medium is suitably employed in applications requiring viscous liquids which retain their viscosity when subjected to shear, heat or high electrolyte (salt) concentrations. Such applications include uses in oil recovery processes, as fluid mobility control agents, fracturing fluids and drilling muds, as well as hydraulic fluids and lubricants in many applications.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,760 entitled “Method of Using a Foamed Fracturing Fluid” discloses a fracturing fluid comprising surfactants and hydrophobically-modified polymers. In these fluids, surfactant molecules form the interface between gas bubbles and the polymer molecules that form a polymeric network similar to those of the pure polymeric fluids. Still, there is no mention of viscoelastic surfactants or of the responsiveness of the fluids to hydrocarbons.
United States Patent Application Publication 2003/0134751 discloses addition of polymers to a viscoelastic surfactant base system allows adjusting the rheological properties of the base fluid. The polymer can perform different functions (breaker, viscosity enhancer, or viscosity recovery enhancer) depending upon its molecular weight and concentration in the fluid. The methods and compositions are presented for adjusting the viscosity of viscoelastic surfactant fluids based on anionic, cationic, nonionic and zwitterionic surfactants.
United States Patent Application Publication 2005/0107503 A1 describes an aqueous viscoelastic fracturing fluid for use in the recovery of hydrocarbons. The fluid comprises a viscoelastic surfactant and a hydrophobically modified polymer. The viscoelastic surfactant is usually ionic. It may be cationic, anionic or zwitterionic depending on the charge of its head group.
A problem in using water-soluble polymers, such as polyelectrolyte and hydrophobically modified polyelectrolyte polymers, to modify the viscosity of fracturing fluids is that polyelectrolyte and hydrophobically modified polyelectrolyte polymers typically have a low resistance to salt. Salt typically causes a breakdown in the viscosity and stability of these polymers in aqueous solutions. In addition, the viscosity of hydrophobically modified polyelectrolyte polymers typically breaks down in the presence of surfactants.
It would be desirable to use such water soluble polymers to increase viscosity of fracturing fluids in subterranean formations, such as natural gas and/or oil fields, if this viscosity breakdown could be controlled. This breakdown is also disadvantageous in a number of other environments in which such water soluble polymers would otherwise be useful, such as personal care products or as fluid loss agents for cement.
In addition to fracturing, other techniques may be employed to further improve hydrocarbon recovery from subterranean formations. Initially, oil is produced from the fractured formation by pressure depletion (primary recovery). In this method, the differential pressure between the formation and a production well or wells forces the oil contained within the formation toward a production well where it can be recovered. Traditionally secondary recovery processes through injection of water or gas are used to displace additional oil toward producing wells. Typically, up to about 35 percent of the oil which is initially contained in a formation can be recovered in average through primary and secondary recovery. This leaves a large quantity of oil within the formation. Additionally, some formations contain oil which is too viscous to be efficiently recovered from the formation using primary and secondary processes. Because of the need to recover a larger percentage of the oil from a formation, methods have been developed to recover oil which could not be recovered using only pressure depletion techniques. These methods are typically referred to as “enhanced oil recovery techniques” (EOR).
Among the more promising of the methods being used today is an enhanced oil recovery process referred to as chemical flooding which generally covers the use of polymer and/or surfactant slugs. In polymer flooding, a polymer solution is injected to displace oil toward producing wells. The polymer solution is designed to develop a favorable mobility ratio between the injected polymer solution and the oil/water bank being displaced ahead of the polymer. However, the use of polymer is not always satisfactory as many polymer solutions are sensitive to brine type and concentration which can affect the apparent viscosity of the solution. In surfactant flooding, an aqueous solution containing surfactant is injected into the oil rich formation. Residual oil drops are deformed as a result of low Interfacial Tension provided by surfactant solution and drops are displaced through the pore throats and displaced oil is the recovered.